-Caveat Lector- (Now they want to release a microorganism into our lakes and groundwater, so that they can continue to release a suspected carcinogen to help the poor refineries. *#@$^&! --SW) Tuesday March 30 3:07 PM ET MTBE Gasoline Additive's White Knight May Be A Hungry Bug By Richard Valdmanis NEW YORK (Reuters) - While the MTBE industry is reeling from news of California's ban last week of the controversial gasoline additive, there may be some relief in sight for MTBE producers -- in the form of a hungry germ. Researchers, sponsored by proponents of the ailing multibillion-dollar industry, have discovered a microscopic organism that rapidly eliminates MTBE pollutants from soil and groundwater, sparking hope that other bans of the oxygenate may be forestalled. ``Advances like this microbe could protect our water and allow us to preserve the proven clean air benefits of MTBE,'' said Terry Wigglesworth, executive director of Oxygenated Fuels Association, a global organization of refiners. ``The new microbe is another defense against leaking underground tanks.'' MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is a widely used gasoline oxygenate known to cut vehicle tailpipe emissions. Its use in densely populated areas soared after the federal Clean Air Act of 1990 went into effect. The chemical is widely suspected of causing cancer, environmental groups say. California's Gov. Gray Davis banned the gasoline additive last Thursday, saying MTBE's environmental risks outweighed its clean air benefits. In 1998, Maine opted out of using MTBE in its reformulated gasoline. And the New Hampshire and Connecticut legislatures took steps toward a ban -- all driven by concerns over MTBE's ability to contaminate groundwater and leak from underwater storage tanks. A particularly potent strain of the organism, called PM1, was isolated recently by researchers at the University of California-Davis. It can break down MTBE into water and carbon dioxide within a matter of days, scientific reports say. ``In the laboratory, it has proven to work great,'' said Kate Skow, microbiologist at UC Davis, who is leading the research. ``It literally eats MTBE, and at a high rate.'' Without a white knight, which the MTBE petrochemical industry hopes this microbe will be, the outlook for MTBE's commercial lifespan is grim, analysts say. Rob Harvan, analyst at Bonner & Moore in Houston, called the California ban ``quite a bombshell for the refining and chemical industry...because the national trend is to follow the California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards.'' Nonetheless, MTBE proponents are placing their faith in the microscopic organisms. ``We're continuing our efforts to develop a naturally occurring organic consortium to eliminate MTBE in soil,'' a Shell Oil representative said Tuesday. Field tests on the UC Davis microbes, sponsored by the Oxygenated Fuels Association and the U.S. Navy, are slated for this spring in Port Hueneme, Calif. Tests on a similar strain are under way in central California, sponsored by Shell Oil, according to Skow of UC Davis. Field tests will examine the microbe's ability to consume MTBE in different types of soil. ``The engineering hurdle is not insurmountable,'' Skow said. ''It's difficult to say what will happen in the field, but we've proven in the lab that this is a hearty microbe.'' ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Steve Wingate California Director SKYWATCH INTERNATIONAL Today's MP3: -- Alien Fasion Show: "Detroit Swing City" http://www.mp3.com/artists/0/alien_fashion_show.html ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
